We have looked at the most economical way to start housing people in crisis, and have determined that allowing people to utilize an RV and rent a site at a local campground may be the best way to go. Mobile Loaves and Fishes in Austin, TX began their housing ministry by buying and renovating RVs, placing them in an RV park and giving it to a homeless veteran.
Since Cherokee County does not allow RV parks, we will have to adapt this program for emergency and transitional purposes, since local campgrounds limit their stays to 14 – 30 days. If you have an older RV you would like to donate (post 1996 would be preferable due to wiring concerns), please let us know. Thank you.
]]>1) HOUSE MANAGER – someone in North Canton (near Riverstone Pkwy) who can visit the house once a day to check the condition of the house and make sure it is being well maintained by the residents, and report any maintenance or other issues to Koinonia.
2) ADVOCATES (3) – one volunteer per single mother to call them on a daily basis and encourage them, find out what their needs are, and help coordinate whatever it takes to meet their family’s needs. The Advocate also meets with the mother and children once a week in person to go over a financial workbook and help her manage her money.
3) TRANSPORTATION – Our goal is to help obtain work within walking distance of the house for women who do not have transportation (somewhere along Riverstone Pkwy), but we may have transportation needs for jobs, shopping and medical appointments. These volunteers would be utilized on an as-needed basis.
4) CHILD CARE – Another goal is for the women to be on staggered work schedules, so that they can help each other with child care if needed. However, we need to provide back up childcare for work whenever possible. These volunteers would be utilized on an as-needed basis.
If you would like to be involved in any of these capacities, please use our Contact Us form and let us know. THANKS!
]]>Koinonia is only 6 months old. It doesn’t have enough money to buy or build a house. Although it could rent a house, no one we have contacted will allow us to lease a house and sublet the rooms, even if we take responsibility for the care and upkeep of the house.
We have researched opening a temporary shelter, but the zoning is limited to Office/Institutional (which is rare to find in Cherokee County), General and Neighborhood Commercial, and finding affordable land or a suitable building in those areas has proven fruitless. We thought about opening a hostel, which although it would be limited to stays up to 30 days, would be something rather than nothing. However, both the temporary shelter and the hostel will be commercial buildings, requiring sprinkler and alarm systems, which will make it a very expensive proposition.
To back up a little, I had already started looking for a house to purchase on my own so I could lease it to Koinonia to sublet, but the only housing I could find that I could afford required a lot of work. I thought checking into other options would be a better use of my time, but when this crisis occurred, I realized that some house is better than no house for people who have nowhere to go.
So I am checking into 2 houses, both of which would need immediate repairs to be livable, so if you want to help with
- labor or materials for repairs (the first house needs the flooring rebuilt in 2 rooms, which is the most critical issue),
- monetary donations to help cover the house payment while repairs are going on,
- help build bunk beds and
- buy mattresses and household furniture and supplies,
- and volunteer to help oversee the upkeep and maintenance of the house (we would need daily visits spread over multiple volunteers)
now is your time to let us know. Contact us as soon as possible if you can help with money, supplies or volunteering.
We may not be able to do everything, but we can do something!
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If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother. Deuteronomy 15:7
I believe God is calling us to start a search for “The 100”. That is 100 individuals, organizations or businesses, or groups of people who band together to give or raise $1,000.
The $100,000 raised by “The 100” will provide us with enough money to put a down payment on our land (we have a site chosen), place 12 months of mortgage payments in savings for emergencies, renovate the existing buildings to start housing people immediately, and build the infrastructure for the undeveloped land.
“The 100” will have their name and photos permanently placed on the walls at our gated area, so every time our residents come and go, they will see the names and faces of the people who sacrificed to provide them with shelter and a new start in life.
If you are one of “The 100” who feel called to personally support our first Village in Cherokee County with $1,000, please contact us to meet with you and pick up your check.
If you feel called to band together with people at your work, church, or with friends and family to raise $1,000, please contact us to provide you with marketing materials to make the fundraising easier. If you can find 10 people to give $100, you will have reached your goal. Then call us to meet you to collect the monies raised.
We don’t want you to talk anyone into giving. God has confirmed that there are people in Cherokee County to whom He has already given a heart for and vision of this project who have been waiting for a chance to be a part of it, but didn’t know where to start. We just want you to ask those around you if they are the ones to whom God has already given the desire to financially support and serve in this ministry.
If you have any questions, call Penny Haynes at 678-813-0714.
Thank you in advance for joining with us to bring safe shelter and a new start to the thousands of people whose lives will be changed due to your generosity.
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When I was walking a potential property last month, I looked down and saw these bottles actually buried in the ground. I kept walking, but I heard the Lord say, “Stop. Turn around and really look at them.” So I got up close and realized that in this discarded, buried, dirty and cracked bottle, there was something LIVING in it! It was actually kind of beautiful, with the green of the little leaves making it look like a jewel embedded in the dirt, covered by the dead leaves.
I believe God was saying that the discarded, broken bottle was an example of the people He wants to take care of. They are broken, they have been discarded by everyone else, feeling buried by their problems and hopeless that they will ever be found. But God will fill them will new life through His Spirit, He will give them not only hope for a new future, but dignity and purpose in helping others, all because those of us who are called to this vision are willing to sacrifice on His behalf to make it happen.
If you are called to give people the opportunity for new life in every area, spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, vocationally, and financially, then Contact Us to find out how you can help.
http://KoinoniaCommunities.com – Creating a sustainable way of life for the homeless.
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Koinonia Communities is a vision which God gave to me (Penny Haynes) and my husband, Ronnie Haynes, about 15 years ago. Sometimes it just takes that long for a vision to come to pass – sometimes even longer. But God spoke that it was time, and I had all the boldness and faith in the world to move ahead. This blog will reveal the journey, in words, pictures, audios and videos. When it is completed, I am believing it will reveal the goodness, love and power of a God who cares for all, and calls His followers to take care of those who are unable to take care of themselves for whatever reason, and who want that help. Let us be found faithful to the calling.
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